Matthew Baker
Sergeant Matthew Baker, is the main character in Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 and is a secondary character in Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood. He is again the main character in Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway.For a third time he is the main character in Brothers in Arms:D-Day Background Matthew Baker was the son of Colonel Joseph and Julia Baker and was born at Fort Benning, Georgia on February 22, 1921. His parents divorced in 1929 when Matt was only 8. On the day he left, Joseph presented Matt with a Colt M1911 enscribed "To Matthew: Brothers in Arms". Julia came from a wealthy family and military life did not agree with her. Colonel Joseph Baker continued to be assigned around the US Army posts in the US, Panama, and China. Matt only communicated with his father on rare visits and through letters. Baker grew up with his mother in St. Louis, Missouri during the Great Depression. When Matt was at High School, he became close friends with George Risner. They both graduated from high school in 1939 and enlisted in the US Army on June 9th 1939, the day after they graduated from high school. Early military career After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Matt and George volunteered for the newly activated airborne divisions of the United States Army. They went through basic training together and both wanted to join the paratroopers. Unfortunately, George broke his leg in basic training and was cycled to another training class. Matt volunteered for the paratroopers and trained at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to the 3rd Squad of the 3rd Platoon of Fox Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 502nd Parachute Infantry of the 101st Airborne division, two weeks before D-Day. Sergeant Saunderson, the squad leader of 3rd Squad broke his arm in a practice parachute jump and Platoon Sergeant; Greg "Mac" Hassay promoted Corporal Matt Baker to Sergeant and placed him in charge of 3rd squad. Overlord On June 6, 1944, Baker and his squad parachuted into Normandy. However, as his squad was waiting for the green light to begin the jump, the C-47 was hit by FLaK, killing Private Muzza (3rd Squad's first casualty) and knocking Baker out of the plane. In his first near- death experience, Baker was able to deploy his parachute and landed safely. After he found the nearest road he found "Mac" Hassay and fought with him for most of D-Day. Throughout the campaign, Baker leads his squad through various battles that claim the lives of most soldiers in 3rd Squad, including the capture of Objective XYZ and of Vierville, Purple Heart Lane, Cole's Charge, the Battle of Carentan, and the defense of Hill 30 on the outskirts of Carentan. During the battle on Hill 30, Baker was knocked to the ground by a tank shell and a piece of shrapnel from the explosion left a nasty scar on his forehead. Afterwards, Baker only appears at the end when Baker and Hartsock tell their stories to Army historian Col. S.L.A. Marshall. Market Garden In preparation for Operation Market Garden, Matt, now Plt. Sgt. Baker, lead an element of the 101st Airborne Division's Reconnaissance Platoon consisting of the survivors of 3rd Squad (Corrion, McCreary, Courtland, and Zanovich), and a few new additions: Pfc. Mike Dawson who for some strange reason refuses to wear a helmet, a replacement with no combat experience named Frank "Franky" LaRoche, and Pfc. Gary Jasper, who carries an M1A1 Bazooka or a Browning M1919A6 .30 caliber machine gun, depending on the mission. Baker and Hartsock lead their men through Operation Market Garden, the Allied invasion of Holland. Baker became more mentally unstable and began to show signs of suffering from Post Truamatic Stress Disorder, as he was haunted by the spirit and memory of Pfc. Kevin Leggett, who was killed at Hill 30. He started to have hallucinations of his deceased squadmates, which caused Hartsock to question his ability to lead his men effectively. Trivia *Baker is most often seen during the single player campaign of Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 using the M1 Garand rifle, Thompson submachine gun, and twice the M1903 Springfield rifle. *Baker's squad is a traditional paratrooper squad consisting of twelve soldiers, jokingly called "Baker's Dozen." Baker's soldiers include Corporal Joe Hartsock, Corporal Sam Corrion, PFC Jack Courtland, PFC Stephan "Obi" Obrieski, Pvt. Larry Allen, Pvt. Michael Garnett, Pvt. Johnny Rivas, Pvt. Michael Desola, Pvt. David Muzza, Pvt. Thomas Zanovich, Pvt. Dale McCreary, and Radio-Op Pfc. Kevin Leggett. Pvt. Muzza was killed by a piece of flak in his chest. Privates Allen and Garnett are both killed during a flanking maneuver against an enemy held farm. Pvt. Rivas was killed by a sniper on Purple Heart Lane. Pvt. Desola was killed by a Stuka dive bomber while trying to squeeze through an obstacle on Purple Heart Lane. Pfc. Obrieski was killed by a sniper during the defense of the cathedral in downtown Carentan. Finally, Pfc. Leggett was killed by a tank shell burst during the defense of Hill 30. On top of the deaths in his own squad, Baker's best friend George Risner was killed when his tank was hit by a Panzerfaust anti-tank weapon. *In Skirmish Mode in Earned in Blood, Baker uses the M1 Carbine (M1A1 variation) and the Thompson submachine gun. *Before Market Garden, both Baker and Hartsock were promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant. *Baker was voiced by Troy Baker, the character was named before the actor was cast to play his role. *Baker has a heavily scarred face. He has a big scar on his forehead (from a tank shell at Hill 30, right before Leggett was killed) and multiple scars on his left cheek (from a mortar in Holland). *Even though he is their superior, some of the men in Baker's squad are older than him. *Baker was blackmailed by Dawson to tell the squad about what happened between Allen, Garnett and Leggett in Normandy, and does after seeing the three as phantoms at a crossroads later that night. *Baker earned the nickname "Bulletproof" for his ability to be very close to dying and then surviving. Examples like "Purple Heart Lane", (Baker was the only survivor who was on the bridge) Hill 30, (Baker is shot at by a tank and only has a scar) and in Hell's Highway in the level "Black Friday" which Baker is the only one who is not wounded severely when the mortar hits the cafe and "Five Oh Sink" where a sharp piece of shrapnel from the bridge barely missed him. *Baker's father died while holding his pistol. A pistol that is believed to be "cursed" because everyone who has touched the pistol has died. *He thinks that he and Hartsock should write a book about the war. *Baker suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder throughout Hell's Highway which often causes him to see ghosts of men who have died under his command. *In Hill 30, if you get on an MG in 3rd person mode, you will see that he has PFC and Corporal chevrons. Category:3rd Squad Category:Characters